ufrpfandomcom-20200213-history
Jen'jidai Azazel
Jin Ze'evar was the only known Force-using Yuuzhan Vong since the death of Onimi and a prominent Dark Jedi. His tireless efforts on behalf of the Dark Jedi helped bring them to the forefront of galactic power. He was also a Master Shaper, and was responsible for the creation of a number of innovative biotechnological achievements, fusing his species’ organisms with galactic technology and the Force. History Early Life Little was known about Ze'evar's birth and childhood. However, hidden Yuuzhan Vong records indicated that he was not a normal member of his species, even before his birth. Azazel was, in fact, created as part of a plan devised by Onimi in the last desperate phase of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Onimi, having seen Shimrra's Slayers fail to defeat the Jedi, forced the Supreme Overlord to authorize the creation of a limited number of warriors, based on a melding between the Slayers and Onimi himself. These "Abominations of Death" were to be the final attempt of the Yuuzhan Vong to breed an organism the Jedi could not defeat. Upon learning of the program, Nom Anor had the children quietly eliminated...save one, whom he could not find. Azazel had been planted on the backwater planet of Eret'zkod'esh, far from the other prototypes, who were under Onimi's tutelage. This fortuitous escape paved the way for one of the most miserable and formative periods of the young Yuuzhan Vong's life. Slave Assassin When he turned fifteen, Jin began to exhibit signs of a power completely unknown to those in his village, who were mostly simple fungus farmers. Being the backwater planet of a backwater sector, it took nearly a full year for word of this to reach an impetuous young scion of Domain Lah in the sector military. But reach him it did, and the summer before Jin's sixteenth birthday, the squad of Warriors under Nasral Lah's command descended upon Jin's village and took him away. Young and unsure of the origin or extent of his powers, Jin was easily cowed by Lah, who recognized the boy's abilities for what they were but was determined not to let heresy prevent him from gaining power. Under Lah's direction, and with the threat of his family's extermination held over his head, Jin began to master his powers for use in assassination. With all those who could compete with Lah for advancement soon dying like flies, the Warrior rose incredibly quickly through the hierarchy, first of the planet, then of the sector. Within five years, Jin had murdered dozens of his fellow Yuuzhan Vong in cold blood, and War Leader Nasral Lah was the youngest Yuuzhan Vong ever to lead an entire sector. But Lah's use of Azazel had within it the seeds of its own destruction. Having gained control over his budding Force power, Jin was able to easily defeat his guards, steal a ship, and escape from his captor and his galaxy forever, bearing an eternal hatred for his species with him. The Ossus Project Jin found himself a place among the Yuuzhan Vong of the known galaxy, defeated in war and broken by the disagreements within. Recognizing that he needed to be as far removed from his original profession as a taker of life as he could, he became a member of the Shaper cadre that worked on the Ossus Project, repairing the Vongforming of the galaxy's worlds. Though the Yuuzhan Vong were a subject race, their traditional training remained alive, and Jin progressed from Acolyte to Shaper to Master Shaper, exhibiting extraordinary aptitude. During this process, he acquired the first of the many biological modifications that were to follow, receiving his Shaper hands as part of his induction process. Despite his sensitivity to the Force, he was able to avoid the Jedi supervising the Ossus Project, largely through their own assumption that no Force-sensitive Yuuzhan Vong existed. This foolishness only heightened the disgust the young researcher felt for the impractical altruists who had somehow managed to subjugate a vastly superior opponent. As the Ossus Project failed under the influence of Darth Krayt, Jin followed his usual policy of "look out for number one" and fled just before the Massacre at Ossus, arriving on Coruscant/Yuuzhan'tar even more disillusioned with the Jedi, the Yuuzhan Vong, and sentients in general. The young man was full of hatred, ready to take his long-hidden powers to the next level. Secret Training While exploring the deep places of the wrecked and Vongformed planet, Jin stumbled into the shattered subterranean remnants of the Imperial Palace. There, within a sealed chamber, he found the catalyst that would propel his growth: a holocron of the Emperor, Darth Sidious. Jin trained within the bowels of the world for nearly twenty years, focusing his hatred for all other life into an immensely powerful fuel for his powers. But the avatar of Sidious also taught the Yuuzhan Vong to consider before he acted, to keep his hatred in check until it was needed, giving him a strategic outlook the notoriously short-sighted Sith often lacked. Though the Master Shaper had held back from altering himself beyond what was necessary for his profession, he set up a laboratory and began to transform himself from a scientist into a warrior. He removed his left Shaper hand and regrew a normal one so that he could more easily wield weapons. He replaced his left eye with a plaeryn bol for close-range emergencies and his left eye with a hybrid of the m'qaaq'it and m'aa'it organisms, giving his single working eye great magnification capabilities, along with infrared and ultraviolet vision. He embedded a variant of the knuckle-embedded fighting claw and inserted it into his left forearm, and devised a vaccine to protect himself against the Alpha Red toxin. His crowning achievements, however, were his first steps towards the creation of Physical Mastery and the livesaber. The former consisted of breeding voxyn with extraordinarily high midichlorian counts using Shaper techniques, and then integrating their DNA into his own body, increasing the physical power of his otherwise short body; the latter required more than a year of unceasing labor to successfully create. Jin also modified the Yuuzhan Vong vonduun crab armor biot to better suit his needs. Finally equipped to face any threat he would face, the Sith Lord, Darth Azazel, named for the Yuuzhan Vong god of the underworld, emerged from the depths of a ruined world to claim his place. The Xendor Alliance Upon his emergence into the Universe, Azazel quickly fell in with a group of Sith known as the Xendor Alliance. Darth Sidious' teachings on forethought and secrecy meshed well with the Alliance’s emphasis on restraint, and Azazel rose quickly in power and prestige within the organization. Under the direction of Tanith Desaevio, he infiltrated the Alliance’s largest enemy, the New Sith Order, and passed along considerable information about their internal politics and military planning from his cover as instructor of starfighter piloting at the New Sith Naval Academy. The circumstances surrounding the fall of the Xendor Alliance were never fully explored, but it was known that after the Sith’Ari of the Alliance, Fortean, suddenly vanished, Tanith led a large number of the Alliance’s finest members away—to the New Sith Order, giving Azazel’s blood enemies a decisive advantage and spelling the death of the Xendor Alliance. This betrayal planted within him an undying hatred for Tanith that continued until his death. With what had come to be his family falling down around his ears, Azazel and the rest of the Xendor Alliance’s leadership fled, vanishing into exile as they planned their next moves. The Dark Jedi Order With these compatriots, headed by Jen’ari Seraph, Azazel began to dig deeper into the origins of the Xendor Alliance’s beliefs in restrain and moderation in the use of the Dark Side of the Force. They eventually came to realize that the name of the Xendor Alliance was more than coincidence; that they were not Sith, but Jen’jidai. Forming the Dark Jedi Order, they quickly rose to height of power far surpassing the old Xendor Alliance, controlling several star systems and posing one of the few real threats to the alliance of the New Sith Empire and the Clan of Draach Dea Caelestis. Though he was considered one of the Order’s leaders, Azazel avoided planetary governorship, for which he felt he was unqualified, for much of the Order’s existence, instead residing at Jen’jidai Pyros’ citadel on Dagobah. However, when the order acquired control of Byss and a Jen’jidai of Azazel’s rank was needed to run the planet, he grudgingly accepted the responsibility of constructing the Order’s citadel there. Azazel formed Hell’s Riders Squadron to be for the Dark Jedi Order what Voxyn Squadron was to the Jedi; this brought him into contact with Jen’jidai Ronin, who became one of his closest associates and a great friend. Some of the more long-term members of the Riders, such as Jen’jidai Woede Ravage and Jen’jidai Rogos, would also remain with Azazel for some time. The Battle of Kamino Upon receiving information about genetic blueprints for a new variety of clone trooper stored on Kamino, and Jedi and Sith forces converging on its location, Azazel and the Hell’s Riders devised a cunning plan to get the data for themselves through an unorthodox strategy of aerial breaking and entering. When a massive storm made this plan impossible to carry out, they sided with the Jedi in exchange for a promise of equal access to the genetic data. Azazel struck down four Sith in the battle, including one who would later become another famous Jen’jidai, Cthulu Plaga. The Order’s Fall As a part of their continued war against the combined forces of the New Sith Empire and Clan of Draach Dea Caelestis, the Dark Jedi Order decided to incorporate the Night Jedi Order, a smaller organization built on similar principles. Though made for the right reasons, this choice was the underlying cause of the Order’s collapse, as it was unable to digest a near-doubling in size of both membership and planets. Unable to keep either its ideology or its political organization functioning consistently, the Dark Jedi Order slowly crumbled, though most of its members remained Jen’jidai, and most of the planets the Order had controlled remained under the protection of their Sovereign Protectors. Many of the former members of the Order chose to join the Warriors of the Iron Fists or similar neutral organizations; Azazel was more or less alone in his choice to associate with no group and hold Byss entirely independently. From the Ashes It was perhaps an unfortunate commentary on how powerful the Dark Jedi Order had really been that it was forgotten quickly by all who had not been members, and many who had. Azazel was not one of them, and in the time following the fall of the Order, he devised a comprehensive plan for making the ideals of the Dark Jedi renowned throughout the galaxy. Rather than building organizational power, which he had seen to fail, Azazel decided to refocus the meaning of Dark Jedi philosophy around a radical individualism. He worked one-on-one with younger characters and others who sought his guidance. The membership of the Hell's Riders continued to approach Azazel’s desired figure, and the skill and understanding of those pupils under his tutelage grew by the day. Never officially taking an apprentice, Azazel devoted his time to investigating the history of Xendor, the first Dark Jedi, in an attempt to understand the tradition to which he had become an heir. The discoveries he made firmly convinced him that the new path he had chosen was the correct one, and he preserved, rebuffing equally all attempts at formal alliance and all attempts at his destruction. When Cthulu approached Azazel requesting teaching, despite having fought against the Dark Jedi at Kamino, Azazel willingly gave it, and Cthulu quickly became as important to Byss as had Ronin. The Battle of Fondor After an extended period of reconnaissance, undertaken primarily by Ronin, Azazel, Cthulu, and Ronin agreed on Fondor, then held by the New Republic, as a highly valuable target that was vulnerable to capture. As most of the actions of the Hell’s Riders to that point had been against the Sith, Azazel felt that it was time to strike a blow against the forces of the Jedi. Old friends were alerted to aid in the attack if they wished; plans were laid and contingencies considered. It was assumed that the Republic would pull additional defense fleets from its other planets to help hold off the attack and likewise assumed that between those reinforcements and the independent Jedi who would answer a call for help that Azazel’s forces, significant though they were, would be outnumbered; this was accounted for and countered by the design of a special formation, which took advantage of the shielding abilities of the Mortus-class Star Dreadnought to maximize fleet survivability. As long as Mortus, Tavor, and Har Megiddo could protect the rest of the fleet, the Republic was unlikely to have any major success. As the battle progressed, it proceeded much as Azazel, Cthulu, and Ronin had planned. The Republic’s planetary defense force was quickly overwhelmed, and the auxiliary fleets were brought in to assist. The battle grew larger and larger, as more of Azazel’s friends arrived, forcing the Republic to call in more fleets. The Republic was slowly being ground down, and the morale of Azazel’s forces was high, if tense, when an unprecedented though unsurprising reversal brought the plan to a ruinous halt. Tanith, Azazel’s old nemesis, got wind of the erupting battle and entered it—on the side of the New Republic, and bringing with her nearly every ship in the Clan of Draach Dea Caelestis’ truly massive fleet. Outnumbered to such an extent that they were nearly surrounded, Azazel and his compatriots did the only thing they could, and ran—too late. Though Azazel escaped, all but two of the hundred capital ships his fleet had begun with were destroyed; his allies losses were similar. Without enough ships remaining to mount even a token defense of Byss, which Azazel had correctly deduced to be Tanith’s ultimate target, he gave the order to demolish all Dark Jedi structures and abandon the planet. Defeated, near despair, but unwilling to give up, the Dark Jedi dispersed to various alternative residences to regroup, rethink, and plan their next moves. The Council of Knowledge The Dark Jedi Enclave Well, He's Still...Somewhere... Powers and Abilities During his Sith training, Azazel concentrated on direct-damage Force powers and attacks that took advantage of his fearsome appearance. Later, he learned several techniques for use on himself, and originated several unique abilities. Throughout his life, Azazel detested telekinesis, and the only ability he ever learned in that path was the basic Force Push. Fully mastered Force powers *Art of the Small *Force Push/Force Wave (Azazel had such proficiency with this power that he did not need to use a part of his body as the focus, nor to look where he was targeting the ability) *Force Choke *Force Lightning/Chain Lightning *Drain Knowledge *Force Fear (never used after becoming a Dark Jedi) *Force Horror (never used after becoming a Dark Jedi) *Force Heal *Force Healing (light side power) *Mind Control (only used once after becoming a Dark Jedi) *Morichro *Saber Throw (rarely used) Partially mastered Force powers *Midichlorian Manipulation *Sith Alchemy Both of these techniques were most commonly combined with Azazel's Shaper knowledge when producing new biots, especially the livesaber. Originated Force powers *Iron Wall *Physical Mastery *Full Force Other abilities *Azazel was apparently capable of withstanding immense pain without the aid of the Force, as evidenced by his survival of the torture inflicted on him by Nasral Lah, when he was completely cut off from the Force. *Azazel was connected on a subconscious level with his soulsaber, to the point where he and the sentient weapon could communicate, and in combat essentially become a single being. *Shortly before his death, Azazel developed a retrovirus that could selectively replace sections of his DNA, drastically altering his physical appearance without altering his mind or connection to the Force. Using Physical Mastery to accelerate the virus' progress, Azazel became capable of, essentially, shapeshifting to a different body, while retaining his intelligence and Force powers. By using Physical Mastery to reverse the change, the effect could be dismissed whenever Azazel chose. Weapons and Equipment Personality Azazel cultivated, above all else, the Dark Jedi ideal of impassivity. Accordingly, he generally appeared to be entirely unaffected by the events occurring around him. He tended to be brutally honest, and willingly derided anyone whose behavior smacked of illogic or lack of forethought. He utterly detested children (except for his one-time apprentice, Moria Hammerhand), because to him they exemplified these characteristics. He was possessive about what he deemed as his, touchy about what he deemed as worthy of defense, and never tolerated despotism, stupidity, or attacks against his friends. He was almost pathologically lazy--if he could not see value, immediate or long-term, in doing something, he refused to do it. He tended to be acerbic, sarcastic, and generally nasty in his choice of words, regardless of their recipient. Despite these many off-putting qualities, Azazel's reserve concealed a great personal warmth, and those who could put up with him long enough to become his friends recognized this.. Friends and Enemies Relationships "I don't know where you are, or where you may go, but remember: I love you. You made me become a better man than I would have been. Maybe that's why I bought this. Maybe that's why I might have given it to you someday. I love you." -Jin Ze'evar, in the note written for Charis Wynn on the day of his death and placed underneath a wedding ring In the last few years of his life, Azazel met a mysterious Sith woman named Charis Wynn. It was never clear to him which of them had seduced the other, but, in any event, the two became first lovers, then true companions. After spending some time with Azazel, Charis began to turn away from the Sith, and asked Azazel to train her as a Jen'jidai. He never took her as a formal apprentice, but he did begin to give her "lessons," which frequently culminated with a demonstration of the principles he'd outlined as they applied to sex. Though their relationship was always deeply passionate, it took time for it to be anything more than that. But the two grew closer as time went on, and eventually, Azazel did something that had always held a very special significance for him: he told Charis his true name. Eventually, once he better understood what was happening between them, Azazel worked up the courage to tell Charis that he loved her; she was able to do the same not long after. Now that the reality of their relationship was out in the open, the two became closer than ever. Since both of them considered the institution of marriage to be pointless (except for raising children, which they both detested), such an arrangement was never discussed, but they were lovers in the true sense of the word, and devoted to each other. On the day of his death, Azazel left Charis a note and a wedding ring he had been carrying, hinting that perhaps he would one day have asked her to marry him. Charis has worn the ring ever since as a reminder of what Azazel meant to her. Friends *Jen'jidai Ronin: Azazel first met Ronin during the formation of Hell's Rider Squadron. The two became very close and collaborated on several projects outside of the business of running the squadron. When Ronin more or less vanished inexplicably, Azazel assumed he would return, and until the day he died had no idea what had happened to Ronin. *Jen'jidai Cthulu Plaga: Azazel's defeat of Cthulu at the Battle of Kamino led the Sith to return some time later, requesting to be trained as a Dark Jedi. Azazel obliged, and Cthulu also became one of his closest friends. Near the end of Azazel's life, the two began to differ over the direction the Dark Jedi Enclave should take, with Cthulu advocating further alliances and Azazel unwilling to become enmeshed in galactic politics again. Cthulu succeeeded in convincing the members of the Enclave to request that Azazel step down from his post as leader, which he did, but the bad blood between them, if there was any, was never resolved. *Jen'jidai Pyros: Azazel had known Pyros since he first joined the Xendor Alliance, and though their paths diverged after the end of the Dark Jedi Order, they remained good friends, with Pyros sending military aid to the often-outnumbered Azazel more than once, including at the Battle of Fondor. *Jeddak Lahash de Fortia: Another of Azazel's oldest friends; the Dark Jedi disagreed more than a little with some of Lahash's activities, especially his slave business, but the amusement he consistently provided at the expense of pretentious Jedi more than made up for any ideological differences. *Lord Reign: Azazel met Reign through the Xendor Alliance, and when the Dark Jedi followed his own independent path after the end of the Dark Jedi Order, they stayed in touch. Reign also participated in the Battle of Fondor. *Nyrikki Tuoni: A shareholder in Intergalactic Aerospace Industries and a good friend. Azazel and Nyrikki were on the point of a collaborative design agreement at the time of the Dark Jedi's death. *Stevan Stormro-Fett: Stormro and Azazel had an interesting dynamic: they were each very interested in biotechnology, and wanted to see the other's work, but each placed intensive security precautions to prevent this from happening. Azazel, as an individual, never trusted Stormro not to steal his ideas; Intergalactic Aerospace Industries and Stormro's Nubian Shipyards, however, were negotiating a technology transfer agreement at Azazel's death. *Thane de Fortia: Azazel first encountered Thane at the first Battle Arena tournament, where their match lasted an incredibly long time, with neither opponent able to substantially damage the other. After that, he took great pleasure in poking fun at Thane. *Moria Hammerhand: The only child Azazel ever managed to, not just get along with, but truly enjoy the company of. Seeing her lack of direction and great potential, they became close friends, and Azazel took her as his first apprentice. Unfortunately, as Azazel delved deeper into the Force during the months preceding his death, he had less and less time to teach her; she eventually became Sinistra's apprentice and turned to the Sith. To the day of his death, Azazel regarded this as one of his greatest failures. * Quotes Behind the Scenes/Author's Note This article is (I should hope fairly obviously) still under construction. Please try and refrain from editing it unless you find some truly egregious spelling error or you think it could be formatted more effectively. ---- Category: Characters Category: Dark Jedi